


Of Daggers and Death

by Bisexual_Bookworm238



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Protective Arthur, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:34:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bisexual_Bookworm238/pseuds/Bisexual_Bookworm238
Summary: Merlin and Arthur are in the woods when they are ambushed by a group of bandits. When Merlin is fatally injured, Arthur refuses to cope with the fact that he might lose Merlin.What happens when he does?
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 344





	Of Daggers and Death

This wasn’t how the day was supposed to go.

Merlin and Arthur were supposed to have a short hunt alone, which would mostly consist of the two of them _not_ hunting, only devoting enough time to catch a few rabbits or something so no one would get too suspicious. And that was mostly how the day had gone. After a few rather fantastic hours spent in a nearby cave (Arthur had originally been opposed to this spot the first time Merlin had showed him, but he did have to admit that it was probably more private than either of their rooms, and Merlin’s voice echoed so wonderfully in there), Merlin was attempting to convince Arthur to let him summon a few rabbits or squirrels over with his magic. (They, of course, avoided using the word “magic” just in case anyone happened to be nearby).

“Come on Arthur, why not? I’m exhausted and want to go home. We can have a proper hunt another day,” Merlin groaned. Arthur chuckled.

“Your problem, _Mer_ lin, is that you don’t understand that the whole point of a hunt is to actually hunt,” he replied, elbowing the other man softly in the ribs. Merlin rolled his eyes.

“And here I was thinking it was about getting food and furs. Silly me,” he responded sarcastically. Now it was Arthur’s turn to roll his eyes.

“That’s part of it of course, but really, the best part…” A sudden _SNAP_ interrupted him.

The two men stilled, wondering if it was a threat or merely a passing doe. The yells that erupted from both sides quickly answered their question. Bandits, about six of them, jumped out from behind the bushes flanking the road. Arthur quickly unsheathed his sword and grabbed Merlin’s neckerchief, forcing him to stand behind. He heard Merlin stumble and fall onto the ground before blocking one of the bandits’ daggers with his sword.

There was a soft murmur behind him, and suddenly all the bandits were flying backwards. Some hit trees at full force, others landed on the ground hard and did not get up. Arthur turned around exasperatedly, seeing the last of the gold leave Merlin’s eyes. He gave him a disapproving look, which was answered with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. Rolling his eyes, he turned to look back at the bandits to ensure none of them had gotten up. He could hear Merlin stand up behind him and brush himself off. He always hated when Arthur threw himself in front of him, and Arthur knew he would be grumbling about it all the way home.

After checking that all the bandits were dead, Arthur finally turned to walk back to Merlin, ready to chew him out for doing such obvious magic in the open. However, his anger was momentarily forgotten when he saw another bandit that had apparently been hiding running towards Merlin, dagger brandished.

“MERLIN!” Merlin turned towards the bandit, his back to Arthur, just as he was bringing the knife down. He stuck his hand out and shouted in a language Arthur knew he would never understand, and the bandit and his dagger went flying backwards, hitting a tree and falling to the ground with a sickening _CRACK_. Arthur ran up to Merlin, breathing a sigh of relief that the man was still standing.

“Merlin, are you alright?” he asked, slowing to a jog as he came closer. Merlin was still facing towards the bandit, breathing heavily. “Merlin?” Finally, as though just now hearing him, Merlin turned his head towards his lover, and Arthur started to worry when he saw that his eyes were a bit unfocused. Merlin looked down at his own chest, and Arthur followed his gaze, heart plummeting when he saw the deep, bloody wound just above his heart.

“Arthur…” he started to say, before losing his balance. Arthur caught him, panicking now. They hadn’t brought horses, as it wasn’t a far walk to the cave and it was more trouble than it was worth to bring them for such a “hunting trip”. But Arthur knew they had to get to Camelot and Gaius as fast as possible, because there was no way he was losing Merlin today, he refused to even _think_ about losing Merlin today.

Throwing Merlin over his shoulder, he set off at a dead sprint, more adrenaline flowing through him then he ever thought possible. He occasionally heard a soft groan or grunt whenever he jumped over a root or rock, which was encouraging, but he could also feel Merlin’s blood flowing freely down his shoulder, which only spurred him to run harder. He ignored the stitch growing in his side, but did slow down a hair when he felt nausea setting in. It would do Merlin no good if he had to stop and vomit on the side of the road.

Finally, after what felt like many hours but was only several minutes, he was at the front gates. He knew that as the prince, he shouldn’t be seen sprinting through the citadel with his servant on his shoulder, but he didn't give a damn what others saw right then. All he knew was that he was close to losing the man he loved, and he could not let that happen. Finally, he made it to Gaius’ house, crashing in without knocking. The man was bent over a potion and jumped slightly at the loud noise. He turned towards them with a disapproving glare, which quickly disappeared upon seeing Merlin slung over Arthur’s shoulder and the panic in Arthur’s eyes.

“What happened?” he asked, ushering Arthur to the cot he used for patients.

“We were ambushed in the woods, one of them stabbed him,” Arthur panted, barely managing to get the words out. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, his head was feeling fuzzy and his lungs were aching. He gently placed Merlin onto the cot, trying not to notice the blood continuing to flow freely from his wound and the boy’s mouth. He moved to the other side of the cot to allow Gaius to inspect Merlin. The physician was bustling about, calling for a nearby guard to bring him clean water and preparing a needle and thread to stitch the wound together.

Arthur sank to the floor, kneeling next to his manservant. Merlin’s eyes were still open, but they were unfocused and teary. Arthur reached his hand out to Merlin’s, lacing their fingers together. He squeezed lightly, breathing a small sigh of relief when it was returned. His bleary gaze shifted over to Arthur’s, and he gave him a small, dazed smile. Arthur strained to return it.

Gaius returned with the needle, thread, and a potion. Arthur lifted Merlin’s head as Gaius poured the potion down his throat. He choked on the liquid briefly before swallowing it. Soon, his eyes fluttered shut and his body went limp. Arthur set his head down and returned his hand to Merlin’s, squeezing again even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to feel it.

The next few minutes passed quietly as Gaius stitched up the wound. The only interruption was when the guard returned with the clean water Gaius had requested. When he finished stitching the wound, he turned toward the bucket and grabbed a clean rag. Arthur refused to move his eyes from the sleeping form on the cot, counting in between Merlin’s slow, shallow breaths. As the sound of Gaius wringing out the rag filled the room, Arthur realized that Merlin’s chest had completely stilled.

“GAIUS!” He yelled, not caring that the man was so close by and could clearly hear him. The man turned around, and rushed over to Merlin’s side. He examined him quickly before pressing his ear to his chest. There were a few silent, still moments before Gaius raised his head and shook it, tears forming in his eyes.

Arthur felt as though the world was imploding. This wasn’t supposed to happen, not today, not ever.

“Heal him,” Arthur demanded, voice watery.

“Sire, I’m afraid…”

“Listen, I don’t care what you do, which methods you use, help him,” Arthur demanded through gritted teeth. Gaius paused a moment at the implication, before turning back towards the boy he thought of as a son lying dead on the mattress. He held his hand over Merlin’s chest and began to chant in a low voice, words that sounded similar to Merlin when he used magic. Arthur saw the flash of gold in his eyes, but noted it was nowhere near as strong or beautiful as Merlin’s.

He watched as the wound faded a bit, closing together until it looked a few weeks old. Gaius murmured something else, and Arthur noticed that Merlin’s skin seemed to become a bit pinker until it looked as it normally did. He finished with his spells, and for a few seconds neither of them moved, watching and waiting. After a few moments of no changes, Gaius sighed.

“I’m sorry Sire, but I believe we were simply too late.” Arthur heard his voice distantly, as though he were underwater. When he didn’t respond, he heard Gaius say, “I’ll give you a moment,” before hurrying out of the room. In the back of his mind, he realized this was also a way for Gaius to have a moment to himself to grieve, but at that moment he didn’t care. His gaze was fixed on the beautiful, clumsy, idiotic manservant that had managed to worm his way into Arthur’s heart.

Arthur had never felt so numb in his life. He didn’t feel sadness or despair, overwhelming emotions rolling through him. Instead, he felt as though a void had opened in his chest, sucking away his heart and soul. Memories began flitting through his mind, memories of Merlin. The first time they met, the time Arthur had discovered Merlin’s magic when he caught him using it to light his fire, their first kiss, the way Merlin looked when he was sleeping, lips slightly parted, face more peaceful than it ever was when he was awake.

This last memory was what finally broke Arthur out of his stupor. His eyes prickled with tears as he looked at the face of the man he loved. To anyone else, he could have been sleeping, but his face was too blank, and his lips were pressed too firmly together, blood staining his lips and chin. There was undeniable proof that he was dead, and that nothing Arthur could do would change this fact. He slowly raised one hand and used his sleeve to wipe the bit of blood from Merlin’s mouth before returning it to his side. Closing his eyes, he took the hand that was still firmly clasped in Merlin’s and raised it to his mouth, pressing his lips to the too-cold fingers as a tear rolled down his cheek. He sat there for a few moments, letting a few more tears spill down his face and squeezing the hand in his.

Then, he felt it squeeze back.

It was gentle at first, so faint that he was sure he was imagining it. But then there was a second squeeze, much stronger than the first, and his eyes flew open. Merlin was breathing, and he watched as his eyes blearily blinked open, finding Arthur’s gaze and giving him a weak smile.

“Hi,” Merlin whispered, voice raspy. Arthur looked at him in disbelief before launching himself into Merlin’s arms. Merlin gave a soft “oof” at the sudden impact, but wrapped his arms around the prince. Tears were running down Arthur’s face harder than before, relief filling the void that had opened in his chest.

“You are never allowed to do that again,” he said, voice thick and muffled by Merlin’s chest.

“Right, of course not. But for clarity’s sake, what exactly am I never allowed to do again?” Merlin responded, murmuring into Arthur’s ear. Arthur’s grip on him tightened.

“Leave me,” Arthur whispered. He readjusted to bury his head in the crook of Merlin’s neck. “You are never, ever allowed to let me outlive you. I can’t lose you,” he murmured into Merlin’s skin. He felt Merlin tense before he pushed at Arthur’s chest, attempting to sit up. Arthur fought him at first, not wanting to part with him, but after a moment he relented. He saw Merlin’s eyes soften when he saw Arthur’s face, and he raised his hand to wipe away the tears before cupping Arthur’s cheek.

“I could never leave you,” he said in a hushed voice, and Arthur felt another tear roll down his face at the rush of love and adoration for Merlin that seemed to slam into him. He saw a small smirk appear on Merlin’s face. “I thought that no man was ever worth your tears?” he said teasingly. Arthur’s nostrils flared before he roughly pulled him in again, one hand curled around his waist and the other wrapped in his hair.

“You mean more to me than anyone I have ever met. You are worth much, much more than my tears,” he said, his voice quiet and gruff. They stayed like that for a minute or so, before Arthur remembered and pulled back. “Gaius,” he said. Merlin cocked his head in confusion. “He still thinks you’re dead.” Merlin’s eyes widened at that.

“Wait, dead?” he asked. Arthur ignored him as he walked to the door. The man in question was leaning against the wall next to the door, the guards normally nearby were a short distance away to give him some space. Gaius looked at Arthur, tears in his eyes. “Gaius, he’s alive!” Arthur said, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the small quarters. He heard him give a sharp exhale before a small laugh.

“Merlin! My boy, you’re alive!” He exclaimed in a watery tone, moving forward to bring the boy into his arms. Merlin still had a slightly confused look on his face.

“I take it I died for a moment then?” Merlin asked hesitantly.

“Yes, you did, and you are expressly forbidden from doing such a thing again,” Gaius said, pulling back and placing his hands squarely on Merlin’s shoulders. Merlin nodded weakly before Gaius stood back up, grabbing some bandages from nearby.

“What are you doing?” Arthur asked, confused. Gaius had already healed Merlin’s wounds, it didn’t need a bandage. Gaius raised his eyebrows.

“I thought it might appear a bit suspicious if Merlin made such a miraculous recovery after being seen in such a poor state,” Gaius explained. Arthur still felt a bit confused before remembering how he had sprinted through the citadel with the man dying on his shoulder. He then remembered he was still covered in Merlin’s blood, drenched in it really, and suddenly wanted nothing more than to throw off the tunic and burn it, getting rid of any evidence of what had happened that day. He nodded at Gaius.

“I really should go and change,” he said, his eyes locking onto Merlin, torn between wanting to rid himself of all the evidence of Merlin’s temporary death and wanting to not leave the man’s side. Merlin nodded at him, giving him a small, encouraging smile. He stood where he was for a few more moments before Gaius cleared his throat.

“Very well, Sire. I’ll send Merlin to your chambers when he is ready. Though, I would recommend a few days at least before he undertakes his more strenuous chores,” Gaius said, continuing to wrap the bandage around Merlin’s chest. Arthur nodded, and with one last glance at Merlin, left for his chambers.

* * *

It was early evening when Merlin finally joined him in his rooms. When the door opened without a knock, Arthur flew from the chair in front of the fire where he had been definitely _not_ moping, thank you very much, for the last few hours. He threw his arms around Merlin, now dressed in a loose tunic that was thankfully blood free, one arm wrapping around the waist while the other grabbed the back of his neck to pull him into a deep kiss.

Arthur poured every emotion into the kiss, and Merlin responded, throwing his arms around Arthur’s neck and letting him take what he needed. Arthur lost track of time, standing wrapped in the other man, greedily moving his mouth over the other’s. Eventually he began to move, dragging the other over to the large bed and flipping them so Arthur had Merlin pinned underneath him. He pulled away, hovering over the other man, both panting for breath, and a rush of emotions hit him all at once.

A few hours ago, this wouldn’t have been possible. He came so close to never letting this happen again, if he had just been paying more attention, maybe he could have alerted Merlin to the bandit earlier and this could have been avoided…

“Stop,” came Merlin’s voice, interrupting his spiraling. Arthur blinked.

“Stop what?” he asked.

“Thinking so damn hard. I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head.” Merlin’s hand came up to cup his cheek, causing Arthur to close his eyes and lean into it. “What happened today wasn’t your fault,” he whispered. It amazed Arthur how Merlin could just know what he was thinking.

“But if…” Arthur was cut off quickly.

“No, what happened wasn’t your fault. You were too far away to have done anything, I wasn’t paying close enough attention. But you brought me back, you brought me to Gaius, and thanks to him, I’m fine.” Merlin was brushing his thumb across Arthur’s face slowly, and Arthur felt himself beginning to melt. There was a brief press of lips against his, gentle and unhurried. “But I can’t stand to see you blaming yourself,” Merlin muttered when he pulled away. “So you are to stop that nonsense at once.”

Arthur snorted. “I think you’re forgetting who the prince is here, _Mer_ lin,” he said humorously. He opened his eyes and saw Merlin grinning.

“Well you certainly didn’t seem to mind when I was ordering you around in the cave earlier,” he said, his voice low and suddenly husky. Arthur clenched his jaw before pulling Merlin in for a kiss again, this one hurried and hungry. After a moment, he moved his mouth down to his jaw.

“Well, _Mer_ lin,” he growled, moving down to his neck as the other began to moan softly, “one of us has to follow orders around here,” he moved to the spot where his neck met his shoulders, “and since you insist on being so _insolent_ …” He let his sentence hang, choosing instead to softly bite and suck on that certain spot as Merlin writhed beneath him.

After Arthur was certain there would be a mark there (Merlin would be sure to cover it with one of those damn neckerchiefs), he finally lifted himself up a few inches in order to get a good look at the panting man underneath him. His hair was messy, his lips swollen and pink, and the bright red mark stood prominently against the pale skin. He could one of Gaius’ unnecessary bandages peeking out from the tunic, and for the first time that day, felt calm. He had almost lost Merlin today, but now, he was here, in his arms, and he couldn’t help the soft swell of adoration that this man, this beautiful, odd, clumsy, wonderful man, was his. His lips parted as he smiled.

“I love you,” he said, his tone full of love. Merlin grinned back at him.

“I love you too, you great prat,” he said, the insult holding a tenderness generally reserved for pet names. Arthur grinned back and returned to his earlier ministrations, content knowing that they had all night, all week, all year, the rest of their lifetimes.

Because there was _no way_ Arthur was ever letting what happened today happen _ever again_.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is my first ever fic on this site, and my first ever Merlin fic! I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
